We left Off Road RV Resort in Cainsville, UT at 8 a.m. with
temps already at 80F degrees.We had a
3.5-hour drive along UT-24, I-70, and UT-128 to arrive at Buzzard’s Belly
General Store, our overnight Harvest Hosts site in Cisco, UT, about 40 miles
from the Colorado border.In the 1880s,
Cisco was a thriving watering town along the route of a steam locomotive
line.In the 1920s it had an oil
boom.During its heyday, it boasted a
population of 200.But with steam no
longer fueling locomotives and the oil boom going bust, things dwindled
rapidly.Cisco received its final death
throw when I-70 was built and bypassed the town.It became a true ghost town with nothing but
rotting buildings, abandoned vehicles, and few other remnants of
yesteryear.Cisco’s claim to fame is
that scenes from the 1991 film, “Thelma and Louise” were filmed on site.In 2010, Eileen Muza decided to make Cisco
her home.She created an “artist in
residency” program, wherein some useless junk has been crafted into some very
cool artistic creations.Today Cisco has
4 residents, including Janine and her hubby, who purchased an old truck repair
operation in 2018 and turned it into Buzzard’s Belly General Store.And land is for sale should you wish to
become a “local”.Buzzard’s Belly is an
excellent Harvest Host site.The parking
area is huge, with easy accessibility and maneuverability.The
owners have spent time and resources to level off a good portion of the lot,
which is especially appreciated by folks like us with longer, heavier rigs.Janine is personable and gracious. We were
excited she carried local farm fresh eggs in the store for us to purchase.We walked around the main area of Cisco
envisioning the town in its prime.We
admired the creativity of the artists in residency and laughed at the antics of
the nearby prairie dogs.The parking lot
gave us a wonderful venue from which to watch the lunar eclipse and International Space Station (ISS) fly by at the same time!
Beautiful mountain views in the distance
Some of the old buildings of Cisco are still standing.
An abandoned RV gets a makeover. It is now a work of art.
The moon rising...
...And then a partial of the lunar eclipse
A passing train acted as my alarm clock the next morning as
I arose to witness a lovely sunrise.We
departed at 7:45 with Mom at the wheel, taking UT-128 about 5 miles to
I-70.After passing the state line, we
turned onto CO-139.Mom forfeited the
wheel when we entered Douglas Mountain Pass—she gets anxious driving those
winding roads with steep inclines and descents.These roads were in bad condition and
extremely rough from all the patch jobs done through the years.We read that the road has not been repaved
since it was done initially in the mid-1970s.Dad warned me to strap myself in and to use caution when opening the RV
cabinets, so I knew we were in for a wild ride.Once through the pass, we noticed several interpretive sites.But the rest stops/parking areas were tight
squeezes for our behemoth setup.Only 1
looked like we could fit, but the road sign cautioned that the maximum length
for vehicles was 40 feet.Bummer,
especially since I learned after the fact that these interpretative stops are
known collectively as the Canyon Pintado National Historic District. As Spanish
priests passed through the area in 1776, they noticed the various rock art
created by the Freemont Indians, thus naming the area “Painted Canyon”.
The perfect alarm clock--a train passing as the sun rises.
Views from Douglas Pass
View of the road through Douglas Pass
We traveled on to CO-64, another rough ride attributed to
poor road conditions.We made it to the
town of Dinosaur, CO on US-40 without me hurling the huevos that I had for
breakfast.We notice that everyone here and in neighboring towns embraces
their dinosaur heritage by erecting life-sized statues of the reptiles. We
turned left onto Harpers Corner Road within the Canyon Area of Dinosaur
National Monument.We traveled approximately
14 miles before turning left onto Blue Mountain Road/Moffet County Road 16, to
the dispersed camping area operated by the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM).Though this camping area is quite
a bit off the beaten path, it offers peace, serenity, hiking, and magnificent
views of the canyons.Our Verizon
service was pretty good, too.There are
only about ½ dozen sites within 1.5 miles of the road entrance, but fortunately
there are a few that can accommodate big set-ups like ours.We knew additional boondocking opportunities existed
at Echo Lake, about 20+ miles further down Blue Mountain Road/Moffat County
Road 16.But from what we read, the
sites are small, the road is rough, and 4X4 high clearance vehicles are
recommended.Weather would play a factor
there as well, as the road becomes a muddy mess.So, we were content setting up where we
were.Unfortunately, some of the neighbors were not
very welcoming.
View from Harpers Corner Road
Simply spectacular canyon views along the route
These guys blocked Blue Mountain Road/Moffat County 16, trying their best to dissuade us from camping here...
...but we did not heed their message.
The next day, one of them left this "gift" for us.
From the mean look in his eyes, me thinks this is was the culprit.
This little lone sheep was much more welcoming, stopping by our rig to say hello.
Video from our campsite:
Supposedly, there are no fossils in these canyonlands.(These lands were only added to the Monument in
1938 to ensure no development occurs.)All the dinosaur bones are in Vernal, UT.So, the next afternoon we took the 45-minute
drive to the Quarry Visitor Center.We
watched the film, and I worked on my Junior Ranger booklet while my parents perused
the Campground in which our setup will not fit (there’s a surprise).Rather than drive over to the Quarry Exhibit
Hall and other formations in the area, we decided to hike over, getting in 3
miles round trip.The dinosaur fossils in the Quarry Exhibit Hall and in other nearby rock formations provide quite
a comprehensive paleontological record. It was fascinating to see the skeletal remains
of these massive monsters.One of their
femurs were taller than me and Mom!And
to think there are bones UNDERNEATH the Quarry building in addition to what we see on
exhibit in the Hall!What an exciting feat it was
for Earl Douglas to spot the first 8 tailbones of a sauropod sticking out of
the ground in 1909.Earl was a
paleontologist from the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.Since his initial discovery, the bones of
nearly 400 different dinosaurs have been collected from these rock layers.I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit—and I earned
another Junior Ranger badge!
Quarry Exhibit Hall
Somebody lost his head.
Quarry Exhibit Hall
Look how tiny I am next to this femur!
This was a baby dinosaur!
Hiking trail to the other formations
View from the hiking trail to other formations
Another view from the hiking trail
I'm gonna need a new hat soon to display all my badges.
While in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park, Mom noticed
some minor dry rot on our swivel wheel tires. My parents are always pro-active
and try to fend off problems before they arise. So, Dad ordered replacements
from Walmart.com to be shipped to the Vernal, UT Walmart store, which we would
pick up while touring Dinosaur National Monument. We have ordered from Walmart.com many times
in our nomadic lifestyle without incident.
But this time, Walmart cancelled our order citing “fraudulent activity.” After confirming with our own credit card
service that they honored the charge and that they were not responsible for the
order rejection, we called Walmart.com to advise that the order was legit. Their Customer Service Rep said that they
would remove the fraud “red flag” and we should replace the order. Well, after another 3 attempts, 3 failures,
and discussions with several useless supervisors, we changed strategy. We called the Walmart store in Vernal, UT
directly. Interestingly, the physical
store has nothing to do with Walmart.com and cannot place orders from the website. The store has completely different vendors
from which to make purchases. The store employees were most helpful in
placing an order for us. The tires were
to arrive on Day 2 of our stay at Dinosaur National Monument—or so we
thought. But the shipment was delayed
beyond our scheduled day of departure.
So, no tires here, only aggravation and frustration. At least the current tires are D-rated and
still have good tread. We will watch
them closely and order them once we arrive at our summer volunteer gig in
Minnesota.
We calmed ourselves from the tire debacle with lunch at Pro
Antica Pizza in Vernal. What a perfect
remedy! Their business model is to serve
only 1 size pie (13”), which is a good idea since it saves costs on baking pans
and to-go box sizes. Dad got his usual
vegetarian with his plant-based faux cheese.
But Mom and I could not resist the traditional Margherita with fresh
mozzarella. Magnifico! Their brick oven baked the dough (which was of
perfect thickness) at a temperature that made it golden brown but not burned. Pro Antica earns a Rambling RV Rat 5-cheese
rating.
Dad's plant-based pizza. Mom and I devoured ours before he could take a photo--it was a LONG time since either of us ate REAL cheese!
We departed Harpers Corner Dispersed Camping Area in Dinosaur,
CO on an overcast, crisp (45F degrees) morning, taking a final glimpse of the
gorgeous canyon views and pretty fields of brightly-colored wildflowers. We hopped on US-40 before traversing along US-191. This is a spectacular route through the Uinta Mountains, which contain Utah’s oldest fossils.
Departing Dinosaur, CO
Scenery along US-191...
We then entered Flaming Gorge, named by John Powell during his 1869 Colorado River expedition. We stopped for a quick picnic lunch at the Flaming Gorge Dam Visitor Center.Then we went inside to watch the films, a must-do for this Rambling RV Rat.Construction occurred between 1958 and 1963, and its official dedication was attended by Lady Bird Johnson in 1964.It stands 502 feet tall, and its length is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall.The reservoir created from the Dam provides approximately 365 miles of shoreline.The water temperature is controlled and kept at approximately 53F degrees, mighty comfortable for the local fish population.Importantly, the dam’s powerplant has 3 generators with a capacity of 50,000+ kilowatts each, supplying electricity to more than 70,000 homes across several states.At least those were the stats before recent years of drought.
Front side of Flaming Gorge Dam
The back side of Flaming Gorge Dam
View of the Green River from the spillway
We returned to scenic US -191 and crossed into Wyoming for the rest of the day’s journey to Rock Springs. We were expecting to have a quiet night boondocking at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Middle Baxter Road Dispersed Camping Area. We were in good spirits and renewed awe of the wonders of our magnificent homeland .
And then it happened. Big Boomer, our medium
duty tow vehicle, suddenly got very, very sick. He became fatigued and just could not muster any energy.
I’ll tell you about the whole fiasco in my next post.
I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as we hit the road on a
crisp morning for our next destination:Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey, UT.UT-12
was a slow go with its switchbacks and steep grades from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, but it just gave me more time to absorb the beauty of the landscape.After passing through Boulder,
UT, the scenery changed to alpine forests.We were halfway to heaven at Heritage Overlook, 9,300 feet above sea
level yet still climbing.Remnants of
winter’s white blanket were still evident here.
View from Heritage Overlook
Soon we were on UT-24 and entering Capitol Reef National Park. We planned to spend 1 night in an RV park to pump and
dump then boondock the rest of our stay at Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) dispersed camping areas along UT-24.But one of the BLM areas would be dusty and noisy
since it was near the ongoing UT-24 road construction.The
other boondocking options along this route were congested already with
RVs, making it impossible for us to maneuver.So, we decided to stay all 6 nights at Off Road RV Resort in Cainsville, UT, about 30 miles east of Capitol
Reef National Park on UT-24. This is a new RV park, celebrating its second season.It
has HUGE full hook-up sites. Ours was so ginormous (150 feet), it could have fit 2
of our setups!We had good cell signal, and they offer free Wi-Fi, but there is no infrastructure for those who need
toilets, showers, or laundry. We had lovely views from the Resort, included a gorgeous sunrise. It was
a bit pricey at $50/night, especially since that rate included a 25% “early season” discount. We learned late in our stay that Off Road RV Resort offers use of their dump station to non-guests for a nominal donation. Discovering this tidbit and the many boondocking areas OUTSIDE of Capitol Reef National Park that we were not aware of initially, we could have saved some serious cheese money. But my parents were willing to shell out some bucks to support a small, local, family-operated business in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
I viewed this glorious sunrise from our kitchen window.
We set-up Suite Retreat and unloaded the
trike and side by side, fighting off the horrific winds that seem to be following
us everywhere we go.Then we went to the
next town, Hanksville, for fuel, a few groceries, and to log a geocache.While there, Big Boomer had a photo shoot
with Kathline Rock, an unusually shaped formation near Goblin Valley. Across the road, a few miniature hoodoos stood, with the snow-capped Henry Mountains towering above them in the distance.
Kathline Rock and Big Boomer
Miniature hoodoos in the foreground
Henry Mountains
We also visited Carl’s Critter Garden, where
recycled and reusable materials became art creations within an inspirational
Zen Garden.We returned to the RV Resort and took a stroll alongside the Freemont River as the sun was setting. Lots of wildflowers were blooming along the river banks.
I luv this message: "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the stars...Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. Find whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. It is a beautiful world."
Freemont River
The next day we rode Maximus the Trike to the Visitor Center.We watched the informative film then rode
along Scenic Drive. The first 9 miles are
paved roadway, and it provides magnificent views of the Waterpocket Fold, a step-like
wrinkle in the Earth’s surface.Then Scenic
Drive turns to gravel and sand for another 2 miles.Dad didn’t want Maximus to get dusty or
dinged, heaven forbid! So, he parked the trike and we walked the balance of the road, affording us views of Golden Throne, a rock formation that towers 7,100 feet
above sea level. Then we hiked 1 mile
along the Capitol Gorge Trail to view petroglyphs and the Pioneer Register,
where early settlers carved their names/initials into the rock walls. Funny, if we do this type of "visual communication" now, it is vandalism. Yet, the "grafitti" from other centuries now is considered history. Anyway, it was getting mighty hot and I was pooping out. Good thing I stumbled upon Hyles Lineata, or, as I like to call him, Mothzilla. He occupied my attention for a little while. We returned to the parking area needing to fuel up both Maximus and our
bodies.So we went into Torrey,
enjoying a quick bite to eat at Slacker’s, a nostalgic burger joint that had a
plant-based option for Dad.We stopped
at Panoramic Point, but the views were not optimal because the 40 mph winds were
creating major dust storms, especially with the nearby road construction.
This is a good view of Waterpocket Fold.
Golden Throne in center
Capitol Gorge Trail
Mothzilla in Action
The next day we hiked the 4.7-mile Chimney Rock Loop Trail.It has a 600-foot elevation change within the
first ¾ mile, which we surmise is the only reason the Park designates it as
“strenuous”.Seeing Chimney Rock, after
which the Trail is named, was cool, but it was not the best part of the trek
for me. The highlight for me was the
spectacular panorama from the peak of the Trail.
Chimney Rock
That's Chimney Rock to the left of Maximus
Looking up at the rock formations from the bottom portion of the trail
The Creature Feature of the day was a desert spiny lizard.
Castle Rock
After lunch and refueling Maximus in Torrey, we headed to the
Boardwalk Trail to view the petroglyphs on the rock panel.Historians are not sure the meaning or
intended message of the carvings made by the Freemont Indians nearly 1,000
years ago.But based on what I saw, I
think they were saying that they encountered aliens!
There is NO WAY these carved figures in the rock represent humans!
On another day we toured the Fruita Historic District.I felt transported back in time, admiring the
heirloom orchards started in the late 1800s by the 10-12 Mormon families who settled
in this area.How courageous and
resourceful these pioneers were, dealing with the extremes of flooding and
drought on a regular basis.They worked
all year to grow their pears, apples, peaches, apricots, plums, and
cherries--from pruning dead tree branches to digging irrigation ditches, from
harvesting to canning and preserving.We
stopped at the Gifford Homestead to purchase a fruit pie as suggested in the National
Park literature, but it was after their business hours.I wasn’t too disappointed—the fruits used are not from the local
orchards.Nope, these pies are knockoffs
like the $25 Rolex watches you could get off a New York City street
vendor.However, the pies are
symbolic.They represent the culture of
the Mormon settlers, illustrating how they survived AND thrived in the area
through the fruits of their labor (pun intended).We also stopped at the schoolhouse.This little building was multi-purpose,
serving as a church and social hall in addition to the school.It started with 2 dozen students, which
dwindled to a half-dozen when its last class graduated in 1941.The land on which the school was built was
donated by Elijah Behunin, one of the early settlers.Guess it was out of necessity--he and his
wife Tabitha had 13 children, 1 of which became the school’s first
teacher.We also visited the Behunin
family cabin, where 11 of the 13 offspring lived with Elijah and Tabitha.Talk about tiny house living!
Heirloom orchards
You can purchase fruit pies during business hours at Gifford Homestead.
The deer came for a fruit pie, too, but settled for the nearby grass.
A sneak peek inside the schoolhouse window.
The Behunin family cabin, the epitome of tiny living!
Our destination the next morning was the Hickman Bridge
Trail.Though only 1.8 miles round-trip,
Mom was glad she brought her walking sticks, especially after we witnessed
someone trip and fall.This trail is
heavily populated.It offers views of a
natural bridge and of Capitol Dome, the rock formation shaped like the top of a
government building which inspired the Park’s name (to see the best views, watch my video of Scenic Drive).I often pick out shapes within the clouds and
find myself doing it with rock formations (mainly because it keeps me from
worrying about falling off the cargo compartment when we are riding!)Many
of the rocks of Capitol Reef National Park look intricately designed, as if
formed with a chisel and pick.And some
come in such vivid colors!
A Natural Bridge
Same bridge, different angle
Two views of Capitol Dome along the trail.
After our hike, we rode down Notom-Bullfrog Road.We discovered BLM has additional dispersed camping areas along this road.The area is popular among ATV/OHV riders.As we traversed further, we were enthralled with the thousands of acres of legacy farms and the back view of the Waterpocket Fold.We turned around after 15 miles, when the road turned from paving to dirt.But had we continued, we would have met up with the back end of the Burr Trail Road that we traversed within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Hoodoos along Notom-Bullfrog Road
One of the many legacy farms in the foreground and the rear view of Waterpocket Fold in background.
We decided to spend our last day utilizing Rat Patrol II, our
Polaris RZR side by side. We already had a Utah non-resident OHV sticker in our possession and we were just 3 miles from Swing Arm City, an off-roader’s playground (especially for Motorcross enthusiasts) operated by BLM. We tooled around the natural bentonite clay dunes. This recreation area offers something for
every skill level, from newbies to advanced.
I was impressed watching little tykes honing their riding skills while practicing
safety--they all wore their protective gear. Swing
Arm City provides fantastic views of Factory Butte and the majestic Henry
Mountains. We learned dry camping is allowed in the area, too. We then went 9 miles further west on UT-24 to
Cathedral Valley Scenic Backway, another BLM-operated site with a small dry camping
area and off-road opportunities. We took
Trail 0082, which brought us to some awesome rock formations. One particular rock formation looked so much
like the town of Bedrock, I thought for sure I would see Fred Flintstone emerge! Since OHV’s are not allowed within the
National Park boundaries, we could not go the full 17 miles to see Temple of
the Sun, said to be a good spot for sunset.
This was a bit disappointing. But
with the sun already low in the sky, we didn’t want to be that far out by
ourselves after sundown. Anyway, Mom’s
interest had been piqued earlier in the week by a “Historic Site” sign just a
few miles before our RV Resort. We learned
Mormons started coming to the area to farm in 1883. Originally named Blue Valley, the settlement
was renamed in 1895 to honor the Mormon Bishop, Henry Giles, who once resided there. The town grew to a population of 200 in
1900. But the excessive flooding of the
Freemont River, particularly the flood of 1910, caused havoc for these folks. Devastated by the constant destruction of their
crops, the townsite was abandoned by 1919.
The sign said the ghost town and cemetery were only 2.5 miles away—I was
ready and raring to go. Then we came to
a second sign that put the kibosh on our plan.
That sign said “Flood”. The sign
did not lie—the road to Giles was completely submerged. Guess the Freemont River continues its antics
even today.
The dark spots represent the deep ruts in the clay from the OHVs climbing the dunes. Cool!
Factory Butte...
The view of Henry Mountains from Swing Arm City
Good photo of the Waterpocket fold and the vividly colored layers of rock.
This formation looked like the faces of 2 dogs to me, 1 beagle, 1 pug (uh, no, I wasn't smoking a funny cigarette).
I bet the Flintstones are here!
After reading all the info on this sign, I was excited to hike to Giles ghost town.
But alas, the rest of the road to Giles lies in the Freemont River.
Well, I've gotta run. I'll bid adieu with a photo of me, the Rambling RV Rat, proudly exhibiting my latest Junior Ranger badge. Talk to you again soon!
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